


Light and Lines

by GuardianLioness



Series: Young Justice Platonic Soulbond AU [3]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Platonic Relationships, Platonic Soulbond AU, Platonic Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 11:59:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14448816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuardianLioness/pseuds/GuardianLioness
Summary: Superboy emerges from Cadmus covered in lines, and there are no genomorphs here to tell him why. His new ally tries to explain it to him, but it's something that Superboy will need time to piece together.Gen/platonic soul mark AU in which individuals have marks for everyone vitally important in their lives.





	Light and Lines

**Author's Note:**

> This piece takes place on July 8th according to the Young Justice timeline, shortly after Wally and Superboy foil a robbery at a mall in Wally's hometown. The team is still not official, and Superboy doesn't have a civilian name yet.
> 
> Thanks to [davidelizabeth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/davidelizabeth/pseuds/davidelizabeth) for the character request! 
> 
> If you've got a suggestion or request or question for this AU, drop me a line either in the comments or at [GuardianLioness on Tumblr](https://guardianlioness.tumblr.com).

Superboy has lines on his body. Thin, white lines in strange patterns. Superman does not have lines, at least where his clothes do not cover.

The Cadmus genomorphs have taught him names, functions, things he will need to understand, but they never taught him what the lines mean. He doesn’t even know the lines are there until he and the fast boy who can’t decide if he is called “Wally” or “Wallace West” or “Kid Flash” return from obtaining new clothes.

The lines first become visible when he is pulling on a shirt. Superboy likes the shirt, which is new. Both the shirt, and the liking. He does not like the white marks that look like scars, how they stand out against his skin when they are uncovered.   
  
He has no information on them, and there are no genomorphs here to load the answer into his mind, so he can’t actually do anything about the disliking until the door to Kid Flash-Wally’s room clicks open while he is still tugging the shirt down around his torso.  
  
“Hey, Supey.” The boy flops down on the uncomfortable bed, his legs twisted up. It looks painful to Superboy, but Wally leans into it like it’s familiar. As he moves, the leg of his pants shifts, and underneath it, his leg is glowing. Just like he glows from his face, only this glow isn’t blue. 

“You have more colors.”

“Yep!” Wally says it like it’s good. “And some that don’t have colors yet.” He hikes the pant leg up higher to show him the lines around his knee that shine neon gold, which are intertwined with some of the dull lines that look like scars. 

“What are they?”

Wally recoils. “Dude! You don’t know?”  
  
“The genomorphs had no data on them.” Angry. He feels angry, and it starts to sink back in his mind, white hot like when he realized he no longer had to listen to Cadmus, and — Wally hasn’t seemed to notice, mouth drawing back in a smile.

“Okay, okay, that’s cool. I can,” his hands flail as his words skip and sputter. “I can explain, it’s no big.”

No big what? He gestures to Superboy, and Superboy consents to sit down on the bed next to him. He refuses to twist up his legs, though.

“So, marks,” Wally says, tapping at the lightning on his knee. “They tell you who’s important. To you, I mean.”

“Like Superman?”

Wally pulls a face, but the gesture only lasts a moment. “Maybe? But what I mean is that it tells you that they’ll matter personally. They’re there for you.” His hand freezes on the gold mark. “This one’s from my uncle. He’s got one of mine in exchange, and we’re partners. Flash n’ Kid Flash, you know? We fight side by side.”

So they’re allies of some kind.

“What about the dull one?”

“Oh, this? We dunno who it belongs to yet. It’s not active. But it _will_ belong to someone someday!”

“But it’s lightning.” Same as the gold one, but dead and white.

“Yeah, Flash and I think it’s another speedster!” Wally’s mouth is moving way too fast again. “The mark’s the same type of fractal but at a different angle, and mine is lightning bolt shaped too, and —”

The other boy babbles, and Superboy looks down at his own frame, reluctantly twisting to examine the white lines. One is a stack of loose parallelograms. Another, like spikes or teeth, cuts a jagged swath across his arm.

These stand for people? People who will…fight with him? On his side? Are the marks required for that?

…Wally isn’t talking anymore, instead watching Superboy with huge eyes. “You have it!”

“Have…what?”

“That!” He jabs his finger at a coil of bolts along Superboy’s shin. “You have _that_!”

“What’s so special about it?" Superboy tips his head, like the genomorphs do when they don’t have an answer.

“Supey, that’s mine! We — you have my mark! Dude!”

He does? “So…that means we’re going to…fight together?”

Wally gapes at him. “Yeah! I think, anyway. Makes sense given the line of work I’m in.”

Work? Wally doesn’t work, just sits around and watches the TV. And helps people escape Cadmus, and shows them the sky. Fighting with Wally doesn’t sound too bad, though. He’s already done it once, and it ended acceptably.

“So why isn’t it glowing? The one on your face glows.”

Wally jerks again. Superboy is starting to think that all of his movements are like that when he’s not running. Quick and sharp.

“‘Cause we haven’t activated it yet. Once we both know — know that we’ve got each other’s marks — the next time we make contact?” There’s a snap, and an actual spark jumps from his fingertips. “Instant glow.”

The statement should be just that, a statement, but it makes something in Superboy catch. Hesitate. The thought of it makes his skin crawl. He doesn’t like the white lines in their stark ugliness. He also doesn’t like the idea of some sort of allegiance he doesn't understand literally tinting his skin.

Superboy waits for Wally to reach out and make contact, but Wally doesn’t. “It’s not likeyou’ve gotta activate it as soon as you know, though. People wait sometimes. It happens when it happens.”

Then Wally slides back. Superboy’s hesitation starts to fade, and the other boy springs to his feet as if he hadn’t been twisted up in a knot. His motion isn’t angular anymore, but smooth and deliberate. “It’s cool we’ll get to fight together someday. Maybe we’ll both be a part of the Justice League!”

Should he acknowledge the action? Wally clearly does not want to change the subject. Superboy can tell from the way that his fingers are still tapping absently at his sides. He has already pieced together that Wally does not _wait_.

But he _is_ waiting. Waiting because he sees how tight Superboy’s face is. Superboy doesn’t even have to say no.

“I…That would be good.” Because maybe it would. He knows Superman is part of the Justice League, and he doesn’t dislike Wally even though he’s loud and moves with too much force.

Pulling a phone out of his pocket, Wally nods, his fingers sliding across the device’s screen. Superboy doesn’t catch the text of the message, but he does notice a tiny lightning bolt icon in the corner. “C’mon, I’m hungry. Let’s go see if there’s anything in the pantry we can snack on.”

Superboy follows him out of the room with a distinct, heavy lifting from his shoulders. It lets him breathe, lets him think. He’ll figure out the lines, eventually. One thing, however, is clear now.

He’d much rather fight alongside someone who will let him understand on his own time.


End file.
